? on debit card pin numbers

I felt a little funny the other day when the cashier at Best Buy ogled the PIN numbers I was entering for a debit card purchase. (Visa check card.)

I asked at the bank about changing my PIN, they said nobody could do anything with the PIN unless they also physically had the card to swipe through an ATM or at a cash register.

Can someone confirm this true? I'm not feeling quite sure about it, only from my experience at work. We use barcodes, and if they don't scan correctly we can enter the numbers manually. Is there any way, if someone had the card number and PIN, they could manually enter the numbers at a cash register to make purchases?

I think the bank employee is right, but I don't know why they wouldn't just change the PIN for you to ease your worry. It's not a bad idea to change those every so often anyhow, just in case they've been compromised.

My guess is that she was probably watching to see that you entered everything into the keypad, including "enter", "is this amount correct-yes" and "cashback yes or no" if it was so enabled. I've seen plenty of morons unable to complete a transaction on their own without being hectored. She was probably just waiting for you to do something lame with the keypad and make it necessary to start the transaction all over again.

I would change my pin number anyway. The way some stores use the credit cards now, the same card can be used for either a atm or credit. Most of the time when I use it for a credit (like a credit card) I have to sign the receipt and because my card is not signed, usually they ask for ID, but not always. Because I have had the credit card stolen off the internet, I try to be very carefull with it. That is why I can review my charge accounts on the internet. I would go back and change my pin number and if the person discourages it, ask for the branch manager.
Marie

Thanks for all your replies. I think it's very possible the cashier was afraid I'd do somthing wrong, now that I think about it. The person before me seemed to be having trouble.

They said at the bank they could give me a whole new ATM card, with a different number and PIN. They just couldn't change the pin on the existing card. I just didn't have time to wait and do the whole thing at the time--but I guess I really should take the time.

Has anyone experienced using your credit/debit card, say, at a restaurant, and then later had MONEY REMOVED FROM YOUR ACCOUT??????!!!!!!!!

I was standing in the checkout line at Wal-mart and this guy was telling about trying to use his card somewhere, it was refused, and when he began checking on the problem----was told that he spent $900 in Las Vegas----he said he's never been to Las Vegas. He thinks his numbers were stolen when he used his card at a restaurant.

Well, a few weeks after this, our local news had several people who had about the same problem---money stolen from their accounts------AND---- it seems that they had all eaten at a particular restaurant.

I had a terrible experience happen to me once. Someone got a hold of my visa checkcard number and actually made a whole new card.
I noticed an odd charge one day, and called the bank to report it. Maybe a mistake we thought. The next day we were wiped out. Someone had decided to go shopping on our account. It was horrible, right before the holidays.
Be careful! Shred everything with your card number on it. Never buy checks through the mailers you get. (I learned this from my bank) and sign whenever possible so you have a good record of your signature.
You'd be amazed at what they are capable of!! The technology they have for stealing your info is very hightech.
Its better to be cautious then broke because someone created a whole new card with your account number!

Since you reported that illegal charge, you shouldn't have been responsible for charges that occured after your report. The bank should have told you to cancel the card effective immediately. For them to have assumed the first charge was a "mistake" is ridiculous. Any CC professional would know that you can't fool around like that if there's any possibility of a theft.